


Return

by ForcedSimile



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-21
Updated: 2017-03-21
Packaged: 2018-10-09 00:59:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10400205
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ForcedSimile/pseuds/ForcedSimile
Summary: He didn’t look at her, but shrugged her off and walked away. And suddenly she’d rather have been eaten by a titan.





	

She would be the first to admit that it was statistically impossible. But a number of things were arranged in Hange’s favor that day. One, the titan in question was unusually large. Two, it had already struggled with the poor child in its hand. And as she severed a few fingers, the wide mouth closed around her. Which led to stroke of luck number three: she was at just the right angle to curl up in a perfect ball. Death would have been to allow the titan to swallow her. She’d studied and dissected them enough to know that she needed to lodge herself in its throat. She had her wits about her enough to take out her swords and dig them into the lining of his esophagus.

And she climbed out. She literally cut her way up to the titan’s mouth and hacked and slashed and stabbed. And she felt herself falling. The head had been cut off. She climbed out of the neck and stood on wobbly legs. Moblit wasted no time in picking her up on his horse and taking off. Something told her to look up. She saw Levi hovering above them. She simply shivered, held Moblit’s waist and focused on the retreat.

* * *

Hange had a rapt audience. Because to date, no one had entered a titan’s mouth and came back to tell the story. So many questions: what was it like? Did she see inside the stomach? All the while she had her eyes on the back of the room, where Levi was removing his gear. He didn’t even look over his shoulder at her. He simply removed his gear, did some preliminary cleaning and left the room. And suddenly Hange didn’t want to talk anymore tonight.

She left the room, promising to give more details the next morning. She caught up with Levi, threw her arm over his shoulders and leaned in close.

“You want to take a shower?” she asked.

He didn’t look at her, but shrugged her off and walked away.

And suddenly she’d rather have been eaten by a titan.

* * *

Hange returned to her room after she finally found the energy to take a shower on her own. She was so used to showering with Levi after missions she felt lost without him. Usually she’d camp out in his room, but she didn’t want to go there tonight. She felt he wouldn’t want to see her and she didn’t want to face rejection twice in one day. Not from him.

But when she opened the door, he was in her bed, facing the wall. He didn’t turn when she entered, so she assumed he was already asleep. She changed her clothes and crawled in bed beside him. Hange put her arm around his waist, but before her eyes slid closed, Levi turned to face her. His fingers threaded through her wet hair, firm but not harsh. He brought her so they were exactly eye level.

“Why?” he asked.

She frowned. “Why what?”

“Don’t be a smartass. Why did you jump in that titan’s mouth?”

Hange breathed in deeply. “I didn't jump into the titan's mouth."

"Why'd you put yourself out there like that?"

"Because I was _saving_ that kid!"

"Why?"

“Because…” Could she really explain herself? Why did anyone save anyone? “I don’t know. He deserved to live? He had people waiting for him at home? Because—“

Levi didn’t pull her hair, pinch her or anything he usually did. He just pressed his forehead against hers.

“So do you,” he said. He almost whispered it.

“What do you—“

“You deserve to live. And you have someone waiting for you,” he said. Levi just let out a long sigh after that. She ran her thumb along his cheek and tears filled her eyes. There were a lot of things unsaid.

“Don’t pull a stunt like that again.”

“Stop crying, sniffling bugs me.”

“Kiss me, Shitty Glasses.”

_“I love you.”_

There was no point in saying any of those things. So she just kissed his cheeks, his lips, his chin. There was an understanding. It was clear and unexplainable at the same time. If she looked into his eyes, like she was right then, she knew. If anyone asked, she couldn’t say.

They just held each other.

Levi’s arms. As long as he was alive, as long as she had it in her power, that was the place she had to return to. He was home.

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place some time before the 104th kids arrive I don't know. As you can see by the lack of tags, I really don't know what this is, but I wrote it.


End file.
